By any measure, the 9-4 San Francisco 49ers should throttle the 2-11 Tennessee Titans in Week 15.
True, the Titans just pulled off their second win of the season, defeating the Cleveland Browns in rather underwhelmingly upset fashion; a game between two bottom-feeding and already-eliminated teams.
Meanwhile, the increasingly healthy Niners have won three in a row and four of their last five, and it's also a benefit to head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad to be coming off a bye week. Fully rested and refreshed, San Francisco doesn't exactly face a daunting challenge when it welcomes Tennessee to Levi's Stadium on Sunday.
Sounds like a perfect scenario for the 49ers to get to 10 wins, right? A little too perfect, perhaps.
Games like this invite the ever-present "trap game" designation: a seemingly one-sided affair in which the clear underdog pulls off a surprise win over a better opponent that didn't come prepared, underestimated the other team, etc.
There is that risk, of course. But there's also a key X-factor in play that only the Titans would worry about, defintely not Shanahan and Co.
And it might grant the Niners the victory.
49ers could be given a win if Titans embrace the 'tank'
Tennessee's win over Cleveland while San Francisco was on its bye was a double-edged sword, proverbially speaking. On one hand, great for the Titans to get victory No. 2. That has to feel good.
But it also potentially cost Tennessee the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which it happened to hold last April and subsequently used on quarterback Cam Ward, whom the 49ers will face this weekend. While the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders are also 2-11, they're now picking in spot Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, with the Titans currently holding the third overall pick, thanks to strength-of-schedule tiebreakers.
Just like that, with one win, Tennessee fell out from the top pick this upcoming April. And that could have drastic implications on the franchise's future.
With five teams -- the Browns, Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Washington Commanders and New York Jets -- currently sitting at 3-10, another Titans win (with their tough strength of schedule) could drastically drop them in the draft order this spring.
True, "tanking" is nearly an impossible sell to any floundering team's players and coaches, who are playing for their respective futures. And one might argue there hasn't been a squad even appearing to attempt such tanking since the 2011 Indianapolis Colts, who were vying for 2012 rookie quarterback Andrew Luck.
Either way, Tennessee might want to embrace the "tank" philosophy, meaning the Niners may easily be gifted a win on Sunday when the two teams square off at 4:25 p.m. ET.